System operator Elia has put the finishing touches to the high-voltage BRABO III grid. The new grid is almost complete with the completion of mast number 58. It should be effectively powered by early 2026, which will support industry in the Port of Antwerp.
“This reinforcement is necessary because demand for electricity in the port will double over the next ten years,” says Elia. The connection with the Netherlands would also be smoother with the new pylons.
BRABO III is the final phase of the entire Brabo program – BRABO I, II, and III. That program, a 300-million-euro investment project, was launched in 2015 and takes the form of a high-voltage loop built around the port area of Antwerp. The new lines will be able to transport 20% more electricity within the 380,000-volt network, ensuring security of supply.
Ready for use in 2026
BRABO I reinforced the grid between Doel and Zandvliet, and BRABO II laid new cable connections at Liefkenshoek. The final piece, BRABO III between Liefkenshoek and Kruibeke, has been under construction since 2023. Underground connections were first constructed so that the existing 18 km air line could be demolished and rebuilt.
The BRABO project will be finished next year. No luxury: industry in the port of Antwerp accounts for half of the expected increase in electricity consumption due to electrification.
The last mast of BRABO III, number 58, was symbolically finished on Monday by Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Flemish Minister of Public Works Annick De Ridder, both N-VA.
Next: the Ventilus project
Elia CEO Frédéric Dumon can now start on his pet subject: the Ventilus project. “We want to start on that now,” Dumon said. “Ventilus is the missing link in our high-voltage grid. It brings power from offshore wind farms inland and strengthens the grid in West-Flanders.”
The Ventilus project includes an 82-kilometer-long new high-voltage line, ten kilometers of which will run underground, to bring electricity from the future new offshore wind farms to inland areas.
The project has been contested. Opponents want a fully underground direct current (HVDC) cable. They fear the health risks and scenic impacts of overhead AC lines.
